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World Cup of Hockey pre-tournament schedule

by
Staff Writer
/ Calgary Flames

ESPN's 12-game World Cup of Hockey 2016 pre-tournament schedule will begin Thursday, September 8 with Team Sweden and Team Finland at 10:00 AM MT and the Czech Republic taking on Russia in St. Petersburg at 10:30 AM MT (both on ESPN3). Team Europe and Team North America - comprised of top players age 23 and under from both the United States and Canada - will meet in Quebec City at 6:00 PM MT on ESPN2 to conclude day one.

ESPN's pre-tournament coverage will be highlighted by two Team USA vs Team Canada contests. Team USA begins pre-tournament play from Columbus, Ohio on ESPNU, Friday, Sept, 9, at 5:00 PM MT against Team Canada. Saturday, September 10, Team USA travels north for a rematch with Team Canada in Ottawa at 7 p.m. on ESPN3. Team USA concludes its pre-tournament schedule on ESPN with a prime-time game on Tuesday, Sept. 13, against Team Finland in Washington, DC.

Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Europe and Team USA are in Group A. Team Finland, Team North America, Team Russia and Team Sweden are in group B.

All coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will also be available to stream live on WatchESPN across computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices via an affiliated video provider.

The two-week World Cup of Hockey tournament begins Saturday, Sept. 17, with a week of group play followed by the semifinals and a best-of-three finals beginning Sept. 27.

The World Cup of Hockey is a joint effort of the NHLPA and the NHL, in cooperation with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Eight teams -- Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Europe, Team Finland, Team North America, Team Russia, Team Sweden and Team USA -- will compete in the two-week tournament, featuring more than 170 of the best players in the NHL. All tournament games will be played at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs.

The eight teams are split into two Groups, Group A and Group B, for the Preliminary Round (Sept. 17-22), when each team will play its three Group opponents in a round-robin format. Placed in Group A are Team Canada, Team Czech Republic and Team USA, plus Team Europe, a pan-European roster of players from birth countries outside of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden. The four teams in Group B are Team Finland, Team Russia, Team Sweden and Team North America, a selection of the top players from Canada and the United States who are 23 or under as of Oct. 1, 2016.

The top two finishers in each of Group A and Group B will advance to the Semifinals (Sept. 24-25), where each qualifier will face an elimination game against a team from the other Group. The two Semifinal winners will meet in the Final, a best-of-three series on Sept. 27, Sept. 29 and, if necessary, Oct. 1.

Calgary Flames at the World Cup of Hockey

The Flames will have four players at the World Cup of Hockey. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan will represent Team North America, Michael Frolik will play for the Czech Republic, and Jyrki Jokipakka will play for Finland.